Section 4 : Fire and Explosion Data

WHMIS: What You Need to Know

11. The Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs)

SECTION 4

FIRE AND EXPLOSION DATA

Highly Flammable and can be a severe fire hazard.
The vapour easiliy forms explosive mixtures with air at room temeprature.
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EXTINGUISHING MEDIA:
CO2        Dry Chemical      Other:  Alcohol Foam
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OTHER PRECAUTIONS:
Even water solutions of acetone can be very flammable if not
highly diluted.   Flashback along vapour.
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HAZARDOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS:
Carbon Monoxide
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FLASHPOINT (C) and METHOD:                 AUTOIGNITION TEMPERATURE (C)
-17.8 (closed cup)                                    578
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UPPER FLAMMABLE LIMIT (% by volume)      LOWER FLAMMABLE LIMIT (% by volume)
12.8                                                 2.6
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EXPLOSION DATA                                EXPLOSION DATA
Sensitivy to Mechanical Impact:    Sensisitvity to Static Discharge: 
LOW                                     Not available

Acetone presents a significant fire hazard and a moderate explosion hazard when exposed to heat and flame.

Water is not be effective in extinguishing an acetone fire and in fact water is not be used directly on burning acetone. Carbon dioxide, alcohol foam, or dry chemical fire extinguishers should be used.

Acetone is capable of vapour flashback. Flashback occurs when a trail of flammable vapour is ignited by distant flame, spark, or other source of ignition. The flame travels back along the trail of vapour to its source. The result could be a serious fire or explosion.

When acetone burns one of the major hazardous products of combustion is carbon monoxide.

The flashpoint point of acetone is -17.8 C (closed cup). The lower the flash point the greater the potential fire hazard. This relatively low value is one indication that acetone presents a serious fire hazard.

The flammable or explosive range of acetone in air is 2.6% to 12.8% (26,000 to 128,000 ppm). The lower explosive limit (LEL) is of particular importance, because if this percentage is low, it will take only a small amount of a flammable or combustible liquid vaporized in air to form an ignitable mixture. It also should be noted that if the concentration of vapour in the vapour-air mixture is greater than the upper explosive limit (UEL), introduction of air (by ventilation or other means) will produce a mixture within the flammable range before a safe concentration of vapour (below the LEL) can be reached. The explosive-limits range itself is also important; the larger the range the greater the potential hazard.

For acetone, the explosive-limits range is relatively small and the LEL relatively low, but the LEL is much higher than the exposure standard.

Acetone has a low sensistivity to mechnical impact. This information indicates whether or not the material will burn or explode on shock (e.g. dropping a container of the material) or friction *e.g. scooping up spilled material).

Information on sensitivity to static discharge indicates how readily the material can be ignited by static electricity, such as an electric spark.